MSPs attack UK Government’s renewal of Trident

Rona Mackay and Gil Paterson have spoken out against Trident as MPs prepare to vote for its renewal.

Ms Mackay, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden has condemned the UK Government for its plans to spend billions on nuclear weapons as it cuts vital public services.

She said: “I call on my constituents to speak out against Trident as the vote for its renewal approaches at Westminster.

“In this era of Tory austerity, it is absolute madness to waste billions of pounds on new weapons of mass destruction at the same time as cutting services for our most vulnerable.

“The Scottish Parliament has voted against supporting this renewal by a staggering majority in 2015, showing the clear-cut differences between Scotland and the rest of the UK.

“As the vote is likely to go through in Westminster on Monday, the people of Scotland will yet again have another damaging policy imposed upon them against their will – less than a month after the Brexit vote.

The vote to renew the UK Government’s nuclear weapons programme goes to the House of Commons on Monday July 18.

Gil Paterson, the MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, has always held a principled stance against nuclear weapons.

He said: “It is estimated £200 billion would be spent on the new Trident missile system over its lifetime – this is funds that should be going into funding our vital services.

“The obsession with nuclear weapons in the United Kingdom is thankfully not shared in Scotland – the Scottish Parliament overwhelmingly rejected the notion of renewing Trident.

“It’s a crying shame the people of my constituency and the whole of Scotland will be pulled out of the EU by the UK against their will, and now they look to have nuclear weapons forced upon them as well.

“The fact the UK is even voting to renew this deadly weapons programme goes to show the vast differences between the union and a progressive and forward-looking Scotland.”